4 killed, 14 injured in Chicago drive-by shooting near nightlife district

Four people have died from gunshot wounds and 14 others have been hospitalised following a drive-by shooting in Chicago, police said Thursday. At least three were in critical condition.

The shooting happened late Wednesday in Chicago's River North neighbourhood, a popular nightlife destination with many restaurants and bars. Several media outlets said it happened outside a restaurant and lounge that had hosted an album release party for a rapper.

Someone opened fire into a crowd standing outside, police said, and the vehicle immediately drove away.

No one was in custody, police said.

When I arrived last night it was absolute chaos, from people screaming to blood on the streets, to people laying on the streets, said Chicago pastor Donovan Price, who responds to communities and people in crisis.

He described the scene to reporters as the worst I've seen just people wanting to find their other people, find who was alive, finding where their phones were because they dropped them in the chaos.

Preliminary information from police said 13 women and five men ranging in age from 21 to 32 were shot, and that the dead included two men and two women. Those shot were taken to multiple hospitals, police said.

Video showed people waiting and crying outside of hospitals. Other images showed multiple police and ambulances at the scene of the shooting.

Police said that nine people, including the two women who died, were taken to Northwestern Hospital. Five people, including the two men who died, were taken to John H. Stroger Hospital.